Update: 7:18 pm ET
Wow! that was quick, the MLBPA just sent out a statement via tweet about the current status of the negotiations. In the statement, it says: “The owner’s decision to cancel additional games is completely unnecessary. Afer making a set of comprehensive proposals to the league earlier this afternoon, and being told substantive responses were forthcoming, Players have yet to hear back.
Players want to play, and we cannot wait to get back on the field for the best fans in the world. Our top priority remains the finalization of a fair contract for all Players, and we will continue negotiations toward the end.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled 93 more games in the afternoon on Wednesday, which will increase the locked-out players and appear to close the remaining chance to play a full 162-game season in 2022.
MLB announced two additional series had been canceled through April 13. That raised the total to 184 games wiped out from the 2,430-game season, or 7.6%.
“In a last-ditch effort to preserve a 162-game season, this week we have made good-faith proposals that address the specific concerns voiced by the MLBPA and would have allowed the players to return to the field immediately,” Manfred said in a statement. “Because of the logistical realities of the calendar, another two series are being removed from the schedule, meaning that opening day is postponed until April 14.”
For a while during the day, it looked like the two sides would be able to come to an agreement, however, towards the evening things changed. While the gaps between the two sides on the three contentious items are under discussion, the MLB pressed for its long-held goal of an international amateur draft. Players have repeatedly rejected the proposal since it was made on July 28, 2021.
